When It's Love
by leeloo2606
Summary: Everyone expected Pansy Parkinson to marry Draco Malfoy, and for a while she began to believe it herself. But a few years after the war, things have changed, Pansy is a different person, and her heart calls out for a love that she never knew existed.
1. Chapter 1

_((A collaborated effort of sorts. This story is far deeper than this chapter indicates. Complete and detailed backgrounds have already been established for both characters and will be incorperated into the story as it progresses. Based on two of the most intriguing secondary characters in the Harry Potter series, I give you **When It's Love**.))_

**Chapter 1: To Say 'I Do'**

Numb.

From the minute Pansy had arrived in Germany, to the manor, there had been nothing but movement all around her. Words flying back and forth; hustles and bustles from familiar faces, from strangers. The world seemed to be spinning around her, and yet she stood still. Pansy didn't hear of feel anything, she was completely numb.

She couldn't hear her mother's torment about what a bad person she was for leaving her fiancé alone for so long. About how lucky she was to have such a man waiting for her, regardless of the little stunts she was pulling. Pansy couldn't hear her mother-in-law's unyielding talk about the fact that such manners were unbecoming for a lady. Nothing seemed to be enough to rouse her out of her state. Their concerns, their offenses simply slid off of Pansy, and she neither realized it, nor cared. There wasn't anything left to care for, not even the misdirected efforts for her the wedding.

But it wasn't her wedding, it was theirs.

And as the world spun, Pansy just stood there. There was an awareness of sorts. She was aware of where she was, of what she said, but it was all too mechanical to be considered real, and if it was real, it needn't have been. Her mother nagged her, as she always did. About her errors, about what she needed to fix, about who she needed to be.

"Pansy, you need this family, you need this name. All this, 'needing to get away' or 'time out for yourself' it just isn't going to work. You need this marriage.

_'No mother, you need it,'_ Pansy thought bitterly, resenting her mother's insistance with every inch of her being, but on the outside...no one would have guessed by her placid appearance. She watched as her mother went about her business as happy as anyone could be. Almost as excited as if it was her own wedding she was preparing for. Completely unaware of her daughters shadowed state. Unaware that Pansy knew what the name Gessler meant for mother, and that there had been a time where she thought it meant something to her as well. But really, it was just a name, and it wasn't attached to a person, not even her future husband. And even when Henrik had worked up enough courage to ask her if she was alright, Pansy's simple 'of course I am' was enough to satisfy his curiosity.

Reality had a funny way of settling itself down around a confused person.

The confusion might have been there the entire time, but Pansy couldn't, for the life of her, pinpoint where it had started. Since before they had announced the wedding? Since she had escaped to London? Since Draco? Since Theodore?

Theodore.

There hadn't been a single letter since their holiday together in Rome, and it only took one trip to Hogwarts to figure out that he was gone. Whether he was gone for good, she could only imagine, his talks of escape only a few weeks before had been taken in jest, but now, they seemed eerily connected. They had joked that she would go with him, and deep down inside she felt as if she actually would have, had he but asked her. But he hadn't asked. Theodore had gone out to seek his own path, and he hadn't even bothered to say goodbye. It wasn't Pansy's right to hold it against him, but she did so just the same. They were supposed to be friends.

And now she was stuck. The wedding was moving forward but she couldn't catch up. She wasn't sleeping and all of her mother's wasted efforts with energy potions and revitalizing serums weren't enough to make the dark circles under Pansy's eyes less noticeable. She wasn't eating, and when she tried on her wedding gown for the very last time, it was too big. They all chalked it up to bad measuring; trying to deny the fact that she had lost weight, because they hadn't bothered asking and they didn't want to know.

As the days blended into one, Pansy fought to find meaning. To find the reason behind her sense of foreboding as the day of her wedding drew ever closer.

_((Comments and critiques are greatly apreciated!))_


	2. Chapter 2

_**((This story actually begins in the middle, and will jump back and forth a few times. Again, all of Pansy's perspectives are written by myself, anything that comes from Theodore Nott comes from an extremely talented writer, whom I have the pleasure of working with.))**_

Chapter 2

_Pansy,_

_Forgive the abruptness of my departure, I had some business to attend to in Loch Munsel, Scotland. I will be here for a few days at least, when I return I will call on you. Until then take care._

_Love,_

_Theodore_

Pansy finally had a few minutes to herself. The 'mother's' had gone out for some last minute errands and Henrik was out at the office so the manor was completely empty, save for the help. Taking a quill, she thought about how she was going to respond to the letter from Theodore. She had to admit she was a bit surprised to receive the owl early the previous morning, and it took all of her effort to keep it from Mrs. Parkinson's prying eyes. But she had, and she had taken it to the stone bench in the western garden and read and reread it. The letter answered her questions, of where he was and whether he was alright or not. But it did nothing to quell the emptiness she felt in her heart after learning of his sudden departure.

She kept the letter with her, from sun up to sundown, waiting for a moment of clarity, where she would be able to write what she felt. There was so much she wanted to tell him, but there weren't enough words to say it. In the end, the night before her wedding, her hurried hand manage to scribble a few words in response, of which the contents she would never quite remember.

Setting the quill aside Pansy made her way to one of the windows in the master chamber. The moon was almost full and below the lawn was illuminated in a soft light. It was a beautiful night, and had it been any other person sitting on the window sill, they might have been able to enjoy it. But since her arrival, there had been no moments of joy for Pansy. Instead as the family owl took off into the still night, she laid her head in her hands and cried.

People say that when a soul is on the brink of catastrophe, a minute can stretch into eternity.

So on the afternoon of her wedding, Pansy stood, dressed in a off white gown of satin and lace, her hair tied in a loose ponytail atop her head, the Gessler family jewels adorning her neck and hands, and time seemed to be standing still. Way beyond the eternity, Pansy stood on the brink of her destiny. Foreign hands were upon her face and her body, willing her to move, to react. And although her body went along with it, her mind was elsewhere. In the corridors of Hogwarts castle, having breakfast, in the shorelines of Rome, she was everywhere but where she happened to be at the moment.

And she struggled to breathe.

Although she had complained, on various occasions, that the stays on her corset were extremely tight, it seemed that Mrs. Parkinson, instead of relieving her daughter of their restraint, only made them tighter, demanding that they were there for the sake of her figure. Pansy only felt suffocated by them, as every single movement she made seemed to make them cut into her ribcage. Luckily, she wasn't doing very much moving.

Everything was being prepared. The help was making sure the guests were comfortable and properly seated. The entire eastern portion of the Manor's grounds had been decorated for the event. Nearest to the house, a good portion of the lawn had been set with dozens of round tables, each seating around twelve guests. In the middle of this setup, a marble dance floor with a stage for the magical orchestra. Beyond this area, in the middle of the Gessler's prized garden, were rows of white seats covered in a sea of pink and yellow pansies, all facing in the direction of the setting sun. Elaborate floral arrangements marked the place where the couple was to stand before a ministry official. All of this beauty and perfection was lost on Pansy, as she struggled to will her body forward every inch of the way.

In almost no time at all she and a line of family members and friends, including the ministry official, were gathered in the manors second parlor. Last minute orders and demands were still being made, as everyone continued to scurry about. Beyond the tall glass windows, Pansy could hear the orchestra tuning their instruments and the hushed whispers of several of their guest. With her bouquet in hand, she followed the party outside, down the concrete steps, around the reception area, and to the path that would lead them to the garden.

It was at this time, that Pansy, who had been nothing but numb the last few days, began to feel. Began to sense what was happening. The whispers were louder than ever, and her mother, who was standing beside her, was still barking out orders. Pansy looked over at her and wondered how she could be so distant from the person who had raised her. As if looking at a stranger she quickly turned her head, disgusted, and looked down at her hands. The bouquet itched under her palms and for the first time, she noticed what an ugly shade of yellow the flowers were. She would have thrown the wretched thing aside, if the line wasn't moving.

As the party passed and took their seats, Pansy was left with only her mother and father. Mr. Parkinson looked as though the entire matter was of no importance to him, kissing his only daughter on the forehead before taking his place up front. Pansy's mother stood there, watching her for a second. Her eyes searching her daughters, as if she wanted to say something, and Pansy was sure her mother was. Hoping for some words of encouragement, for anything to take the nervousness away, she nodded, urging her to speak.

Mrs. Parkinson raised a seasoned hand and placed it upon her daughters face. Pansy breathed a sigh of relief. "Do not ruin this for us Pansy."

And with those words, she turned and joined her husband.

At the edge of the garden entrance, Pansy stood. Her gown flowing behind her, eyes twinkling from the light the hundreds of fairies provided. The music began, her cue, and with nervous steps, she made her way towards Henrik, who stood halfway down the aisle. She looked upon her future husband and realized, with horror, that she knew nothing of him. Even his genuine smile wasn't enough to comfort her and when he took her arm and wrapped it in his; she almost flinched from his touch.

The music was too loud. It was getting louder by the second and as Pansy searched the standing crowd, there wasn't a familiar face among them. With her heart pounding, the first of the tears began to fall and suddenly she couldn't breathe. In shock she stopped, only to feel Henrik's hand tighten around her arm pulling her along, he didn't understand, he couldn't. As they drew closer and closer towards the front, Pansy could see her mother and father waiting, with their pathetic smiles.

Once again, she tried to stop, but Henrik's hand was wise to her, he pulled her undetected, the rest of the way.

And then they were standing face to face."We are gathered on this occasion to..."

Someone was speaking, but she didn't hear a thing. The stays were cutting into her rib cage, making it difficult for her to breathe. Tears were stinging the corner of her eyes and she looked upon her future husband who didn't seem to notice.

And then he did.

His arms were on her shoulders as he asked, "Pansy, darling, what is it?"

Pansy tried to focus, but she couldn't. The minister had stopped making noise and was now looking upon her with confusion. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see the crowd shifting, something was wrong.

"Henrik, I- I..." she was shaking her head, the tears now cutting down her face. 'Darling?' Pansy wasn't his darling, he knew nothing of her. He was staring at her shaking his head slightly, in disbelief.

"I can't."

And with that, pansy tossed the bouquet at her mother and father's feet, lifted the skirt of her gown, and ran, back up the aisle and away from the confused screams and comments of the entire wedding party.

_**((Please take the time to review.))**_


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